Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has become the most serious public health problem in recent history. Experts predict by 1992, there will have been 365,000 cases of AIDS reported in the United States (U.S.). Georgia presently has the eighth largest number of reported AIDS cases in the U.S,. and it has been predicted that as many as 80,000 cases will have been diagnoses in the State by early 1990's. The large number of individuals already infected with HIV (1.5-2 million) insures AIDS-related health services will be needed well into the next century. Yet, there is limited or incomplete data concerning the cost of providing services to persons with AIDS (PWAs). The overall aim of this study is to examine alternative approaches for health care delivery for PWAs that maximize both quality and cost-effectiveness. The study will consist of a retrospective review of the medical records of 150 individuals who died of AIDS. Specifically this study will test a proposed model for providing AIDS- related health service (Sowell, Gueldner & Bramlett, 1989) by comparing the costs associated with hospital care for individuals using the AID atlanta case management system (N=75) versus individuals using two agencies providing a traditional, non-coordinated approach to services (N=75). Additionally, the study will provide an indicator of the overall average diagnosis-to-death hospital charges for PWAs in Georgia. Such information will provide insight into the potential cost of AIDS in rural southern states. Due to the sensitive nature of the data to be collected in this study, individuals already working within the medical records departments of the agencies serving as collection sites, will be employed by the investigator to assist in data collection. The independent variables in this study are (1) approach to health care delivery (case management vs non-case management). (2) history of IV drug abuse, (3) number of opportunistic infections developed during the course of illness, (4) type of opportunistic infections developed (5) minority status (race) and (6) treatment with antiviral drug protocols. Cost of care (the dependent variable) will be determined by calculating number of episodes of hospitalization between HIV diagnosis and patient death, charges per episode of hospitalization and total diagnosis-to death hospital based charges for each reviewed case. An average diagnosis-to- death hospital charge for all 150 cases will also be calculated. This figure will be compared using t-test procedures with published lifetime cost estimates for care of PWAs in other regions of the U.S finally, multiple regression analysis will be employed to determine which demographic and clinical patient characteristics examined in the study explain the greatest variance is the cost of care for PWAs in Georgia Information obtained in this study will serve to guide the development of AIDS-related health care programs in Georgia and other states having a similar rural-urban cultural mix.